Sondaisa is top tier from my understanding. A lot of others brag about having them in their lines. My understanding though is that you really need to check on the temperament of the parents. Akitas naturally are grouchy to put it nicely. They were originally bred to hunt bear and boars. They were later used by the military and trained to kill anyone who lifted a fan (that was how the commanders signaled to the troops). Then they were bred for dog fighting. Somewhere along the way they were mixed with mastiffs as well. It doesn't show up in the show dogs but I think you can definitely see it in the drooping, wrinkly faces of the less well bred ones. Huskies were bred to work together hauling goods so from the start they had vastly different functions. From my readings it seems that akitas aren't as energetic as huskies and a bit more aloof so I'm not sure how the two would mesh. I think if I can find a breeder who values temperament and socialize well that it should be fine. I would love to meet one with loki but no one in these parts has an akita lol.

Danielle, I agree they are beautiful. I am not so sure on compatibility with other dogs.

http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/akitas.html

Please read that before getting your hopes up too high for this breed. I have been around a couple in my lifetime, and not one was all that great with small animals, kids, and other dogs in general. They are big and powerful, and if you do not have a strong "hand" you may find too difficult to contain and train. I really do not want to be a Debbie Downer, but, imho, they really need to be a one dog household. Despite reassurance from great breeders about their dogs temperament, they still do have a mind of their own. If you do end up wanting one, I suggest a female and that the breeders deems the dog a docile, low drive dog. Most breeders of high drive, strong willed dogs will do temperament test on pups at 7 weeks old, if the breeder doesn't do this test, pass on that breeder. again, I hope I don't come off as sounding know it all, or that you personally couldn't handle one, I am actually thinking about Loki, his demeanor says he needs an active, social type dog, not a dog that is bred more for hunting and protection.

I'm going to chime in here since I have been around Akitas most of my life. My uncle, whom I see often, has always had Akitas and they have always been his favorite breed. That said, my sibe and his Akita(s) have never gotten along...to the point that they had to be kept separate when under the same roof. My sibe is friendly with all dogs but all of his Akitas have been rather standoff-ish with my sibe. Their play styles never really meshed. If they lived together I am quite sure it would be a different. Akitas are an interesting breed and very powerful, but beautiful and intelligent.

Unfortunately a past forum member here, Tiffany, is not around to comment but as I recall she had a female Akita living with 3 Siberian huskies and 2 Shiba Inu's with no issues. I remember many, many photos she posted of her Akita and 3 sibes playing together all the time. Clearly, Akitas can live with other breeds just fine. They also are not a one dog breed either obviously. My uncle has had 2 Akitas at the same time (1 male, 1 female) and now has a female Akita and a female Shephard/Lab mix.

My uncle has had Akitas since I was a child and raised his 2 children in a home with 2 Akitas so they can absolutely do well with children. Of course, every individual dog is different so it should go without saying that you may need to work with your future breeder to find the dog that will best mesh with your family (human and dog alike) and situation.

I have never been the biggest fan of Akitas despite growing up around them. They are just way too big (not to mention strong) for my taste. I still have a scar from my uncle's first Akita from when I was a child and went walking with his dog...and that particular dog was the smallest of all the Akitas they've ever had. I would also add that his dogs have rountinely suffered from arthritis and different forms of cancer. He lost his last 2 Akitas prematurely due to cancer. And his first had to be put to sleep due to 2 "bites" (on people) on it's record.

Rumflower wrote:

Do y'all have experience with huskies and akitas? I saw one user two years ago mention it but has anyone else put the two breeds together?

They are so beautiful! I'm in love with them but! The Akita that lives in my neighborhood has always disliked Cora since he met her when she was 10 weeks old. I feel like because Loki will be the older dog you could train the dog to be less standoff ish. I think it's a lot of researching like any breed. The only reason I will never get one is their size and strength I'm only 5 feet tall and a little over 100 pounds so it would be very hard for me to restrain the dog if need be.

I have a boxer, and they are best of friends. They roll all over the place in a little ball, and race all around the yard together. They are still small enough that they sleep wadded up in the cat bed (because their own separate beds are not sufficient). I don't know what they will do when they outgrow that. =]